Respirator for firemen



(No Model.) H. R. HURD.

1 RESPIRATOR'FOR FIREMEN. No. 396,161. Patented Jan. 15, 1889.

71677168885,- Invenfor;

UNITED STATES PAT NT IIUTSON R. IIURD, OF CLEVELAND, OIIIO.

RESPIRATOR FOR FIREMEN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 396,161, dated January 15, 1889.

Application filed December 17, 1887. Serial No. 258,242. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, IIUTSON- R. Hone, a citizen of the United States, residing at. Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Firemens Respiratory Armor; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable'others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in smoke-armor designed to be worn upon the persons of firemen, mechanics, laborers, and all persons entering or being in an atmosphere charged with smoke, dust, or deleterious gases; and it consists in the novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front view, and Fig. 2 a side view, of my intention as applied upon the person in use. Fig. 3 is aperspective view of the cap, reservoir, and upper section of respiratory-tube. Fig. 4 is a view of one of the detached sections of res11 iratorytube with a portion of the covering broken away to show its interior construction.

The apparatus consists of a cap or hat, A, fitting the head and of any desirable shape, but provided with a firm visor, a, projecting in front over the face, to which is hermetically attached a flexible sack-like reservoir, B, of air-tight material, inclosing the face and chin and fitting snugly and hermetically, or substantially so, around the sides of the face in front of the ears and beneath the chin. To secure such air-tight fitting upon the face, the sack or reservoir B is gathered at its free edge upon a small flexible tube .or cord, 1), which passes up through the hat or cap close beside the head and extends above the same a suificient distance to enable the reservoir 13 to be adjusted to different-sized heads. By drawing up the tube or cord 1) through the cap A, after the latter is in place upon the head and the reservoir adjusted to the face, the reservoir is drawn into tight contact with the head at the edge, so as to form a capacious reservoir about the face and perfectly exclude air or smoke from entering at any point except through the tube 0, which is attached at the lower side of the reservoir and extends down to the level of the feet of the wearer, and as much farther as maybe desired. The tube C is composed of a spiral wire support covered with any suitable elastic air-tight material, preferably rubber or rubber cloth, it being essential that the tube should be flexible and non-collapsible in order to allow freedom of movement to the wearer and prevent the supply of air being cut off by the bending or collapsing of the tube. The tube (l should be of as large diamete as is consistent with the free movementof the wearer, and should be not less in any case than three or four inches in diameter. To prevent the movements of the wearer'being impeded by the tube C, I prefer to fasten the same to the person about the waist, either by means of a strap attached to the tube and buckled about the waist or by cords or buttons to be fastened to the clothing, or in any other suitable manner, and I prefer to construct the tube C in sections, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the upper section,which is permanently attached to the reservoir B, being short, extending to about the waist, and the other section or sections attached by suitable couplings, preferably by screw-couplings, the section which is attached to the upper section being provided with a strap or other suitable means for attaching to the person, or the strap or other means of attachment may be upon the upper section, in which case they will not be required upon the other sections. All the sections of tube are provided with similar couplings to enable successive sections to be added at will, so as to extend the tube C to any necessary length.

For the ventilation of the reservoir B, and to allow of the escape of the air vitiated by respiration, a vent-tube, E, is attached to the top of the reservoir and provided with a light valve opening upward, through which the products of respiration, owing to their lighter gravity and the warmth of the face, will asv cend, and thereby create a current or draft upward. through the reservoir B, which aids the inward current of cool air induced through the tube 0 by the respiration of the wearer.

In front of the eyes the reservoir B is providedwith one or more sight-openings, F, preferably made of considerable slze hermetically glazed with aplate of clear glass or mica, through which the wearer may see with case.

To prevent the reservoir B being loosened from the face by the weight of the tube C or the movements of the wearer, the cord or tube 1) maybe provided with suitable clamps where it comes through the hat or cap, by which, when drawn up to tit tightly upon the face, it may be secured in place and prevented from loosening.

In entering a room filled with smoke the air near the floor is Ol'tllllftllb sufiiciently respirable to support life for a considerable time, and when but a short period is to be passed in such a situationas, for instance, on entering a room filled with snioketo search for the source of tire, to rescue insensib'le inmates, or to remove valuable propertya length of the tube reaching to within an inch or two of the lioor will enable the wearer to remain in and move aboutihe room in comfort for a long time, and even to carrya light, pure air being supplied from near the floor and the eyes protected from the etfect of the smoke, as it is well known that the eyes suffer even more than the lungs from the effects of smoke in such situations. \Vhen, however, a person has to enter a room filled with heavy gases, or to go into the upper stories of buildings filled with smoke, additional sections may speedily be added to the tube C and its length so extended as to reach to the outside of the room or building, thus keeping the wearer in connection with the outer pure air without impeding his movements. In such manner a fireman may stand upon a ladder at an upper window while wholly immersed in dense smoke and draw pure air from near the ground or at a farther distance.

I am aware that heretofore apparatus has been devised to protect the wearer from smoke; but all such of whichI am aware have depended either upon the filtering of the respired air through some moist porous material or upon a fixed supply of air contained in a closed reservoir carried upon the person or supplied through tubes by artificial means. All of these have proved ineffectual in use from the lack of free and continuous supply of air or the inability to lengthen at will the air-supply tube while in use. An objection to all helmets inclosing the entire head is the inability of the wearer to hear the commands or instructions of others, while respirators applied to the mouth and nose only require too great exertion in breathing to draw in. the air. .lly leaving the ears uncovered and providing a large free space in front of the face I avoid these objections, and the tube 3, opening near the mouth, forms an efficient speaking-tube, whereby the wearer may communicate with others outside the building, while their words are equally audible to him.

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A firemans smoke-protecting device comprising a hat or cap provided with a strong projecting peak, a, a flexible visor secured to the edges of the said peak and provided with a glazed sight-aperture, and a cord, 11, for securing the said visor to the face of the wearer, a long flexible air-inlet tube depending from the said visor, and the air-escape E on the peak of the cap, all arranged substantially as described and shown, and For the purpose set forth.

Cleveland, Ohio, December 13, 1887.

I'IIf'PsON R. I'IURD.

\Vit-nesses:

L. PRENTIss, L. R. VoRcE. 

